Brief:
This is a father/son dual build. Aye aye! Up t' this point, I've been helpin' him build his rockets. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! We started with me doin' most o' t' building, me hearties, and him as an extra pair o' hands. Over t' course o' 3-4 builds, he's been doin' more and more, and t' roles are reversin' where I'm becomin' t' extra hands. Avast! I found a couple o' Firebirds for relatively cheap, arrr, and so we're buildin' these in parallel. This will be his first purely solo build, shiver me timbers, and we'll be comparin' t' results o' our two builds. Aye aye! After this, shiver me timbers, he'll be movin' on t' buildin' his L1 cert rocket... Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! if I think he's ready.

T' Firebird is a fairly basic single stage Estes offering. Blimey! Nothin' dramatic or fancy, here, just a solid design with classic lines.

Construction:
Dad: This is a basic 4FNC rocket. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Plastic nose cone, arrr, me bucko, pre-cut fins, some flimsy paper centerin' rings and t' usual too short shock cord and plastic chute. Blimey! T' body tube is a good length o' BT-55 1.325" tubing, matey, while t' motor tube be t' cheap blue 18mm tube. Begad! Arrr! For standard 18mm motors, everythin' is sufficiently strong. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! For t' 18mm Aerotech D reloads, matey, thar could be some extra stress that could test some o' these parts.

Son: Yeah, me bucko, yeah...what he said. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! What's with t' wimpy 18mm motor mount? That's got t' go. I'm goin' t' raid t' parts closet. Let's see. Ya scallywag! 24mm motor mount, some BT50-55 centerin' rings t' replace t' cheapy paper stuff. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! OK. Avast, me proud beauty! I'm good t' go. Avast, me proud beauty! Let's get building.

Dad: Once again, this is pretty basic Estes fare. Aye aye! Anyone who's build a typical Estes rocket in t' last couple decades won't have an issue here. Aye aye! There are a couple minor changes that I make t' all Estes kits.

Namely t' recovery section.

I always toss t' 3-fold concept. I notched t' upper centerin' ring, and slipped a length o' Keelhaul®©™ through. Begad! I knotted t' end t' prevent it comin' back through t' notch, me bucko, and put a dab o' epoxy t' hold it in. Well, blow me down! Normally, arrr, me bucko, I would tie t' Keelhaul®©™® in a loop around t' motor tube, me bucko, matey, but since these fins are through t' wall, t' loop would interfere with t' fin tangs.

Speakin' o' which, I wonder why Estes went with through t' wall fins for this kit and only an 18mm mount. Well, blow me down! For all t' Estes 18mm motors, TTW fins is way overkill. Begad! O' course, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, it does make fin alignment much easier.

Son: Well, ya bilge rat, arrr, arrr, he taught me, matey, so, matey, shiver me timbers, yeah, I'm tossin' t' 3-fold as well. Begad! Since I'm doin' t' 24mm thing, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I get t' choose me engine tube size, me hearties, matey, so I went with a longer tube, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and a third centerin' ring. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' first 2 rings sandwich t' fin tangs as normal. Ya scallywag! I tied t' Keelhaul®©™® around t' motor tube, and put t' third rin' on top. Blimey! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Hah! Mines stronger.

While I was at it, me hearties, matey, I cut t' top o' t' engine hook off so it doesn't go into t' motor tube. Blimey! I also left off t' motor block. Blimey! Begad! T' down side is I'll need t' use tape t' make "thrust rings" on t' bottom o' Estes engines t' keep them from goin' through t' rocket. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' up side is that I can use any 24mm motor includin' t' upcomin' Aerotech 24/120 and t' CTI Pro 24 cases. Well, blow me down! Bigger, faster, arrr, higher! I can't wait t' put a 24mm G motor and watch it rip! Dad's shakin' his head while I'm typin' this. Ya scallywag! Says I'll never get it back. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Maybe, me bucko, arrr, but it's fun. Besides, I don't pay for t' motors. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! (Dad: He may start buyin' them if he loses them like this)

Finishing:
Dad: Decals are typical o' Estes in this era. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! That means peel and stick. Arrr! Blimey! I really don't like them. I much prefer water slide. Blimey! Blimey! That said, matey, arrr, matey, as per me usual superstitious approach, I won't actually paint and decal t' rocket until after t' first few flights. Why? Because I've found that t' odds o' me losin' a rocket increase exponentially with t' amount o' time I spend on it prior t' it's first flight. If I build a rocket in 2 hours t' night before a launch, it's comin' back. Begad! Blimey! Every time I've spent 2-3 months doin' a painstakin' job o' buildin' and finishing, somethin' bad has happened.

As for t' pre-paint finish work, me bucko, shiver me timbers, it's all typical. Aye aye! Sand and seal t' fins. Sand t' flashin' off t' nose cone. Fill t' spirals in t' tube. Avast! T' spirals actually aren't too bad, ya bilge rat, and t' tube is white. If you go with t' factory color scheme (white) you could probably get away without filling.

Son: I'm done building, let's go fly. Aye aye! Seriously. Yeah, I could take some time t' make it look good, but this isn't one o' those rockets. Let's fly. Aye aye! I want t' get started on me cert rocket. Blimey! I'll take more time on that one.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Dad: For all our rockets larger than 1" diameter, ya bilge rat, we keep a supply o' Nomex t' avoid usin' wadding. Arrr! Waddin' can be easier in t' smaller rockets, arrr, but t' larger ones just take too much. Well, blow me down! Besides, reuseable Nomex is more eco friendly.

Other prep is standard. Begad! Arrr! Yes, thar's a lot o' this review that just says "it's standard issue." That's because this is a pretty standard rocket. Begad! Steppin' into high power, many o' t' rockets are pretty "standard" as well. Just stronger materials. Ya scallywag! Blimey! At a certain point, me hearties, you can't do anythin' too fancy with high power motors, me bucko, because t' motors will just shred t' rocket from t' high thrust.

Son: What he said. I'm gettin' tired o' typing. I haven't flown mine yet. Weather hasn't been good enough.

Recovery:
Dad: My turn t' say it. What he said. Begad! We haven't flown either rocket yet as t' weather hasn't cooperated. Avast! Ahoy! My expectation is that, matey, like everythin' about this kit, it will be typical Estes. Avast, me proud beauty! T' chute is too big, and it will float, so we'll probably fly with a streamer or smaller chute. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! As we get a chance t' fly these, I'll be postin' t' flight logs, matey, and updatin' t' review through t' flight log comments. Begad! Actual flight is just t' last validation o' t' build in this case. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' primary goal be t' give him a solo build t' validate he has t' skills necessary t' attempt his cert build.

Son: So, arrr, do I pass? When can I start on t' Matrix?

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5